New offside technology
Referee boss announces changes in the Bundesliga
01/06/2025 – 11:08 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
VAR checks for offside situations in the Bundesliga currently sometimes take several minutes. This should look different in the future.
Starting next season, the Bundesliga will introduce a significant technical innovation: semi-automatic offside technology. DFB referee chief Knut Kircher confirmed this to “Kicker”. In doing so, the league is following the example of other competitions in which the system has already been used successfully.
The technology was used for the first time at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. UEFA uses them in the Champions League. It has also been established in the English Premier League since this season. The aim of the system is to clarify controversial offside decisions more quickly and precisely. On average, up to 30 seconds could be saved during checking.
The system is based on twelve cameras installed under the stadium roofs, plus a sensor in the ball. These continuously provide data to the video review room. The video referee can pass the information directly to the referee on the pitch.
For the time being there will be no change when it comes to trainer challenges. Eintracht Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche, among others, called for the introduction. “Of course it shouldn’t be inflationary. But the challenge itself is unavoidable for me,” he told “Bild”.
But Knut Kircher sees this critically. “There is a false expectation associated with the coaching challenge. Namely, that the referee has to change his decision after a challenge,” said the 55-year-old, who also added: “Of course the challenge exists in other sports, maybe it will come She’ll be with us at some point.”
However, it is more likely that there will be more transparency in VAR interventions. “Concerning the stadium announcements, discussions are ongoing, there are intensive considerations. And we would be prepared for a possible pilot phase in the second half of the season. We also have to wait for FIFA’s findings: How will it be received, and does the technology also work properly? It can Of course, our referees won’t let us down.” It must be ensured that the decisive images are shown on the video boards directly and “not three minutes later,” said the former top referee from Rottenburg.